Zara, the new, old pilot!
by G.O.D-Goddessofdeath
Summary: I am horse kuso at summerys................they find a new pilot, and Heero finds a old pilot.............


THE WITHERING RED ROSES.  
  
*I don't own Gundam Wing *sob* (I'm asking for it for Christmas from Sunshine) but I do own most of the storyline (some flashbacks I don't own) and I do own Zara Callo and her life story ..*  
  
This story would take place BEFORE Endless Waltz, but AFTER Ep. 15. In fact, it dosen't fit in anywhere, so it is basically a figment of my imagination!  
  
  
  
The Gundam Gang were walking down a enemy corridor. They were all walking in a little group, expect Duo who was leaping ahead, but nervously, all his senses straining to hear any sound, or see anything move apart from the small party behind him.  
  
Chang was easily the most grumpy and distressed on in the party. He walked behind, derpressed of just seeing blank, metal walls.  
  
'I don't mean to derpress you guys any more or anythin' but I think we've been here before.........' Duo said, his voice brecking the tense, worried silence.  
  
Chang, finaly cracking, yelled, 'We may as well be in a maze or some'it!' He broke off, realising it was hopeless and that nobody could do anything about it. The silence didn't return striaght away, Chang's voice rebounding againest the walls.  
  
He slumped againest the hard, cold, metal walls that seemed to imprison them. The others, thinking he had a point, joined him. All except Heero, who remains standing, a bit down cast himself, but not giving himself up for dead yet.  
  
He speaks, sounding angrey, but also disappointed at the same time. 'Don't admit defeat yet.........I mean who's going to this dirty job if we don't!?'  
  
He walks sternly foreword, not saying a word. He'd leave them behind if he had to............  
  
His words start to take effect to the watching and listening crowd, for Duo's face starts to lighten, and he leaps up.  
  
'You're right, Heero! Nobody would be safe if we weren't here!' said a now positive Duo, leaping up.  
  
'I'm going on too!' he agreed with the still grim as every pilot, joining him. As he did so, he winked and whispered 'Don't worry! I'll persuade this tough crowd to come!'  
  
Suddenly, there is quick, painful sounding gunfire from behind them, causing everybody to leap up and start running.  
  
'See..........(huff) I told you............I'm good at persuading.........people (gasp)!' Duo gasped to Heero. They turn a corner, coming to a side room. They all leap in, gratefully, the door automaticly looking behind them.  
  
looks around checking for damage, and asking 'Is everyone o.k?'  
  
Everybody except Heero nods and mutters, leaning against walls or, in Changs case, sitting in advanced yoga positions on the dusty floor.  
  
Duo, curoius about his fighting budies stiff and unnatural attitude, came over and stood in front of him.  
  
'Eh...............Earth to Heero...........come in, please!' he said, shaking him gently by the shoulders. As he began to get more worried he got angrey and shouted, 'Snap out of it!'  
  
Heero ignored him, but began to walk foreword, pointing. All the pilots followed his gaze, their attention now being bought to him.  
  
Trowa, voicing what they were all thinking, said, 'So what...............' Chang agreed, saying, 'It's only another flippin' useless body.................'  
  
Heero, yet again ignoring his colleagues, quickened his pace, mutteting under his breath.  
  
'No........it's happening............again......no one there to save her............I let her down..........'  
  
He suddenly rasies his voice, startling everybody, including himself it seemed, because he stopped walking at the hunched, bearly breathing female body that lay on the floor.  
  
'Zara!' is what seemed to wake him. That one name, yelled in an other wise perfect silence.  
  
The other pilots, glad that Heero was THERE with them, once again, were some what cofused.  
  
They stared at Heero and exchanged glances with each other, wondering who Zara was, and what she had to do with the mysterouis, almost life less body on the hard floor.  
  
Heero, mean while had more importent things on his mind to do with the girl he called Zara. He fiddled with the buttons on her torn, dusty and bloody jacket. He timed each breathing space with his digital wrist-watch. He felt her gentle, beating pulse. While all this was happening, he manged to answer the bermused pilot's question  
  
'ZARA CALLO! She's the missing Gundam Fire-Breather's pilot. The news came back that she self-detonated to save a Colony's butt!'  
  
Quarte, a worried look on his face, asked 'Is she alright..............?' He reaches out to her.  
  
Heero, unlike himself, snaped 'Leave her be!' making the blond shrink back. Heero seemed to shake himself out of it, and added 'I mean, give her some breathing space!'  
  
Duo, grining a surprising grin, whispered to Trowa, 'This is hot! She obviously means a Hell of a lot to him! Even more then Relena!'  
  
Heero, grimly, puts Zara over his trembling shoulders, something in his eyes the other Gundams could not place..................for Heero never cried............did he?  
  
Heero started walking to the to the exit, with quick feet, even though he had a burden to carry. He called behind him, 'Come on, it's even more importent that we find Noin and Dr. J. now!'  
  
They all join him, the now six pilots, each one more mysterouis then the one before them.  
  
Now we come to the one the pilots are fighting, Treize and he is surronded by three, trembling, Newbies, unsure of battle.  
  
Treize is very angry with the report that the Newbies just gave him, and he took it out on them.  
  
'You mean to say, some of the Gundam's Pilots are on here!?' he yelled at the defenceless Newbies.  
  
'No....................', replied Newbie 1. 'All of them.........' he quivered.  
  
'And', added Newbie 2, 'they've taken our best fighter, Zara Callo's person..........'  
  
'But, sir.........' trembled Newbie 3, 'she is still alive.........................'  
  
'SILENCE!' The high authority shouted at the now pale Newbies. 'Commond every avilable body after them...................NOW!'  
  
The Newbies threw a quick salaute, and say 'Sir, yes, sir!'  
  
The salaute was so quick, because Treize leaped out of the throne he was sitting in and brushed past the Newbies, who were talking quickly into their radios.  
  
Treize walked, slowly, other to the machine that showed the position of the now six Gundam pilots.  
  
He started to talk more to himself then to the people either side of him.  
  
'Poor Heero................our poor unserspecting hero.................didn't you know?.........Rose always bow to the sun's power........'  
  
Back to the Gundams, walking, following Duo's instructions.  
  
'Left...........now right.........left again....'  
  
Their path was now blocked by severel enemy soldiers.  
  
'O.k............', said Duo, thinking fast, 'back and........................right!'  
  
The soldiers, of course, chase after them, shooting as they went.  
  
Heero gasps and thinks, 'Her weight is seeming to increase.....................' Heero sighs out loud, 'Uh.....' A deep, cleansing sigh that seemed to draw more attiontion to himself, for the soldiers shot into his left shoulder. Heero now struggled with Zara, one of her surpports weakend.  
  
Heero, now eagar to get on, spead up, catching up with Quarte, who slows down, with concern for the normally grim pilot.  
  
The concern showed on his face, and he asked, 'Are you 'kay!?'  
  
Heero gulps, taking in precious air, and repiles 'Yeah......keep..runnning...uh....'  
  
Quarte is unsure, but he had seen Heero angry and an angry Gundam pilot add a wound add a wounded chick.............hm, not the best mix......  
  
Heero is becoming to think concern. 'I won't be able to hold her in this condition......much longer.......uh....' In his anger, he yelled back 'Omea wo krosu, you little b******s!'  
  
They come to what, according to Duo's map, was where Noin and Dr. J would be waiting.  
  
Trowa carefully brings out a recently polished one-barrel pistol. He yells at his fellows 'GO!!!!!! I'll hold them back!' He begins shooting mercilessly at the enemy, the enemy relenting.  
  
Quarte finally voices his concern for Heero. 'Heero, you first.....' he said, noticing the pilot sag with the tremendous weight he was coping with, even when injured.  
  
But Heero, the ever coping wall, interrupted. 'No......you......go........' He thought about putting himself in front first, the niggle escaping. 'I.........know I should....go.........but....uh...' The groan escapes with out him meaning to free it.  
  
The sigh reflects, and Heero's body started to sag, under the now massive seeming weight that he so confidently threw over his soulders a little while before.  
  
Duo, Chang and Quarte looked at each other and yelled, 'GO!!!!!!!!!!!'  
  
Heero dives though the door with a gasp, not to follow his friend's orders, but to avoid being shot again.  
  
All the other pilots, including Trowa, hastily shooting behind himself as he jumped, jumped though the still open door. They heard a loud click that symbolised the door locking behind them.  
  
'Phew.............my map reading was right for once!' joked Duo, his arms spread into a innocent gesture.  
  
He became more serious as he saw Noin and Dr. J bending down over the still forms of Heero and Zara.  
  
Dr. J. said distractedly 'Yes, yes, well done, Duo...........now, how did you find Zara?' Duo looked a little bemused and surprised by this question, shrugged, and said 'Long story.......'  
  
Suddenly a trance-like voice spoke from the shadows. It was so trance- like, it didn't even waver.  
  
The voice turned out to be reconisable as Heero's. He is was not seen, for he himself was in the shadows.  
  
Heero spoke, relating this sad tale; 'Me and Zara trained together since we were two........she was always bouncy and full of life......I guess I was too, back then...............but after nine years of hard training........and pain after pain..........every bit of humanity.......had left us.....  
  
Heero had carefully stepped from the shadows. As if to match his voice, his eyes are dull.  
  
'but', he continued, 'she had the tinest bit left, it seemed............but we went to a real 'practise' in a corridor...........and she took a bullet in her cheast...............it went in so deep.......and so close to that vital organ the heart.......we didn't think she'd live......but that tiny ounce of joy saved her......and...left....we then departed at 12.....she north and up.....me west and up.....2 years later.......1 year ago excately......came the news that she self-detonated......  
  
Heero, relived that he had related his childhood story, collapsed. But before he did so, his eyes returned to their normal purisan blue, looking scared and empty. Dr. J caught him and looked away from him, knowing it was true.  
  
* So ends this chapter..........phew! New chapter soon. :) * 


End file.
